JP7853160B2 - Wire harness protector and wire housing method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a wire harness protector and a method for housing electric wires.

Wire harnesses routed within vehicles often have protectors made of molded resin attached to them to protect the wires from external interference with other in-vehicle equipment and to regulate their routing.
This type of protector comprises a protector body and a lid that, when combined, form a cylindrical body capable of housing a group of wires. However, if the wires of a wire harness are inserted into the trough-shaped protector body without being tied with tape, the wires are prone to protruding due to kinks or other factors. Therefore, various structures have been proposed to prevent wires from protruding from the protector and wires from being caught in the lid (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

For example, in the wire harness protectors disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, flexible wing-like portions (stopper pieces) are provided protruding from the tip of the side wall of the protector body, preventing the wires from protruding or getting caught. That is, by providing the wing-like portions in areas where the side wall of the protector body is low and the wires are likely to protrude, the height of the side wall can be compensated for, preventing the wires from sticking out. Furthermore, when placing the cover over the protector body, the wing-like portions are pushed downwards by the cover or fingers, pushing the wires inserted into the protector body towards the bottom wall, thus preventing the wires from getting caught between the protector body and the cover.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-171816 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-268163

Incidentally, the fin portions disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 are projected from the tip of the side wall of the protector body, and are rectangular in shape and thin to provide flexibility. Therefore, if the width of the fin portion is widened to expand the holding range along the insertion direction of the wires inserted into the protector body, the repulsive force when bending the fin portion increases.

Therefore, conventional wire harness protectors, as shown in Figure 8, for example, were used while suppressing a decrease in bending workability by limiting the width W1 of the wing portion 540 to a predetermined value or less (for example, 15 mm or less). For this reason, when it was desired to expand the holding range along the insertion direction of the wire group, multiple wing portions 530 having a width W2 narrower than W1 (a predetermined value or less) were provided protruding from the tip of the side wall 523 of the protector body 520A.

As a result, the increased number of blades 530 meant that the blades 530 and 540 had to be pressed down more often when placing the cover (not shown) over the protector body 520A, resulting in poor workability when housing the wire bundles into the protector.

This invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide a wire harness protector and wire housing method that offer improved workability when housing wires into the protector body and prevent wires from protruding or getting caught.

To achieve the aforementioned objective, the wire harness protector according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1).
(1) A protector body having a bottom wall and side walls erected from both side edges of the bottom wall forming a housing for housing a group of electric wires,
A lid which is attached to the protector body and covers the housing,
A flexible stopper piece is provided protruding from the tip of the side wall of the protector body,
An opening formed at the base of the stopper piece,
A wire harness protector equipped with [feature/feature].
To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the wire accommodation method according to the present invention is characterized by the following (2).
(2) A method for housing a group of wires in the wire harness protector described in (1) above,
A method for housing electric wires, wherein when housing the group of electric wires in the protector body fixed on the wiring plate, the tip of the stopper piece is held open outward from the side wall by inserting a locking pin erected on the wiring plate into the opening.

According to the wire harness protector and wire housing method of the present invention, the workability when housing the wire group into the protector body is improved, and wire protrusion and pinching can be prevented.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments").

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a wire harness protector according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the protector body shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan view of the protector body shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-section of the molding die corresponding to the line IV-IV in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the main parts illustrating a wire housing method for housing a group of wires in the wire harness protector shown in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the main parts showing the intermediate stage of housing the wire bundle in the protector body shown in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the main part showing the protector body shown in Figure 6 with the wire bundle housed inside. Figure 8 is a view of the section VIII-VIII in Figure 7. Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the main components of a conventional wire harness protector.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures.
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a wire harness protector 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the protector body 20A shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan view of the protector body 20A shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-section of the molding die 100 corresponding to the line IV-IV in Figure 3.
In this specification, the vertical and horizontal directions along the longitudinal direction (the direction in which the wire group 50 is inserted) of the wire harness protector 1 shall follow the directions of the arrows shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 1, the wire harness protector 1 according to this embodiment is constructed in a long shape, consisting of two protector bodies 20A and 20B whose ends are connected, and three covers 10A, 10B, and 10C. The wire harness protector 1 is fixed to the mounting surface, such as a vehicle body, by anchor portions (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the bottom walls 21 of the protector bodies 20A and 20B.

These protector bodies 20A, 20B and lids 10A, 10B, 10C are each integrally molded from an electrically insulating synthetic resin material.
The protector bodies 20A and 20B are each formed in a roughly U-shape in cross-section by a bottom wall 21 and side walls 23 erected from both side edges of the bottom wall 21, and serve as a housing section 22 for accommodating the group of electric wires 50.

The covers 10A, 10B, and 10C are fitted over the upper opening of the housing section 22 of the protector bodies 20A and 20B, respectively, thereby closing the housing section 22 of the protector bodies 20A and 20B. Cover 10A has an upper wall portion 11 and a plurality of engaging pieces 13 protruding from both edges of this upper wall portion 11.

A pair of connecting locking frames 28 are provided on the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 23 at one longitudinal end of the protector body 20A. A pair of connecting locking pieces 26 are provided protruding from the tips of the left and right side walls 23 at one longitudinal end of the protector body 20B. The connecting locking pieces 26 of the protector body 20B are inserted into and locked into the connecting locking frames 28 of the protector body 20A, thereby connecting the protector body 20A and the protector body 20B as a single unit.
Multiple lid fixing frames 25 are provided on the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 23 of the protector bodies 20A and 20B, corresponding to the engaging pieces 13 of the lid 10A.

As shown in Figure 2, the protector body 20A according to this embodiment has a low side wall 23, and multiple stopper pieces 30 and 40 are provided protruding from the tip of the side wall 23 at the point where the wires 51 of the wire group 50 are likely to protrude.

The stopper piece 40 is integrally projected from the inner surface of the tip of the side wall 23 in the same direction as the side wall 23. The stopper piece 40 is substantially rectangular in shape and thin-walled to provide flexibility. The width W1 of the stopper piece 40 is set to a predetermined value (for example, 15 mm or less) and has a normal holding range along the insertion direction of the wire group 50.

The stopper piece 30 has a pair of protruding pieces 31, 31 that project integrally from the outer surface of the tip of the side wall 23 in the same direction as the side wall 23, and a connecting portion 33 that connects the tips of the pair of protruding pieces 31, 31 to define the opening 35. That is, an opening 35 is formed at the base of the stopper piece 30.

The pair of protruding pieces 31, 31 are formed in a roughly rectangular shape, with each having a width W3 of less than or equal to a predetermined value (for example, 15 mm or less) and a protruding height T that is long enough to cover at least 1/4 of the width W5 of the housing section 22 (the distance between the opposing side walls 23, 23). The protruding pieces 31 are made thin, about 1/2 to 1/4 the thickness of the side walls 23, to provide flexibility.

As shown in Figure 3, the connecting portion 33 is formed in an arch shape so as to protrude outward from the outer surface of the protruding piece 31. That is, the inner surface of the connecting portion 33 is located outside the outer surface of the protruding piece 31. An opening 35 is formed at the base of the stopper piece 30, to which the tips of the pair of protruding pieces 31, 31 are connected by the connecting portion 33.

For example, the molding die 100 for injection molding the protector body 20A, as shown in Figure 4, consists of a movable die 110 that moves up and down to form a cavity 130 from which the molten resin for molding the protector body 20A is injected, and a fixed die 120.

The cavity 130 comprises a bottom wall cavity 131 for forming the bottom wall 21, side wall cavities 133, 133 for forming a pair of side walls 23, 23, a stopper piece cavity 135 for forming the stopper piece 30, and a connecting locking frame cavity 137 for forming the connecting locking frame 28.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the protruding piece 31 of the stopper piece 30 is integrally projected from the outer surface of the tip of the side wall 23 in the same direction as the side wall 23, and the inner surface of the connecting portion 33 of the stopper piece 30 is configured to be located outside the outer surface of the protruding piece 31.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, the cavity surface 110a of the movable mold 110 and the cavity surface 120a of the fixed mold 120, which each partition and form the stopper piece cavity 135, face each other along the vertical movement direction of the movable mold 110 and slide against each other, thereby forming the opening 35. In other words, the molding die 100 that integrally molds the stopper piece 30, with the opening 35 formed at its base, to the protector body 20A avoids the occurrence of undercuts, thus preventing the structure of the molding die 100 from becoming complex.

As a result, the cost increase caused by integrally molding the stopper piece 30, which has an opening 35 formed at its base, with the protector body 20A can be suppressed.
Therefore, the width W4 of the stopper piece 30 in the protector body 20A of this embodiment has a length that is twice the length of the width W3 of the protruding piece 31 plus the width of the connecting portion 33, thereby expanding the holding range of the stopper piece 30 along the insertion direction of the wire group 50.

Furthermore, when bending the stopper piece 30, the tip of the stopper piece 30 is bent towards the bottom wall 21. Here, the stopper piece 30 is designed to be easily bent at the base where the opening 35 is formed. That is, when bending the stopper piece 30, the bases of the protruding pieces 31, which have a width W3 narrower than the width W4, are bent, thereby suppressing the repulsive force during bending from becoming excessively large.

Furthermore, when bending the stopper piece 30, the pair of protruding pieces 31, 31, whose tips are connected by the connecting portion 33, can be bent integrally. Therefore, the number of times the stopper piece 30 needs to be pressed when placing the lid 10A over the protector body 20A does not increase as much as with the conventional wing portion 530 (see Figure 9).

Furthermore, multiple stopper pieces 30 are arranged in a staggered pattern on each of the side walls 23, 23 that are erected from both side edges of the bottom wall 21.
Therefore, according to the wire harness protector 1 of this embodiment, the group of electric wires 50 can be effectively held in place from both sides along the insertion direction by the multiple stopper pieces 30 arranged in a staggered pattern on each of the side walls 23, 23 that are erected from both side edges of the bottom wall 21.

Next, with reference to Figures 5 to 8, a method for housing the group of wires 50 in the wire harness protector 1 configured as described above will be explained in detail.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the main parts illustrating the wire housing method for housing the wire group 50 in the wire harness protector 1 shown in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the main parts showing the intermediate state of housing the wire group 50 in the protector body 20A shown in Figure 4. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the main parts showing the state in which the wire group 50 has been housed in the protector body 20A shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 7.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when accommodating the group of electric wires 50 in the accommodating section 22 of the protector bodies 20A and 20B fixed on a cable routing plate (not shown), as shown in Figure 5, a locking pin 60, erected on the cable routing plate adjacent to the outer surface of the side wall 23, is inserted through the opening 35 of the stopper piece 30. As a result, the stopper piece 30, with the locking pin 60 inserted through the opening 35 at its base, is held with its tip open outward from the side wall 23.

Therefore, when inserting the wire bundle 50 into the housing section 22 of the protector body 20A, 20B, the wire bundle 50 is less likely to get caught on the tip of the stopper piece 30. Furthermore, when the wire bundle 50 is housed in the housing section 22 of the protector body 20A, 20B, any wires 51 that attempt to protrude from the housing section 22 will hit the stopper pieces 30, 40 protruding from the tip of the side wall 23, preventing them from sticking out.

After housing the wire bundle 50 in the protector bodies 20A and 20B, the locking pin 60 is removed from the opening 35 of the stopper piece 30. This makes the stopper piece 30 flexible, allowing the wires 51 to be pushed towards the bottom wall 21.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 6, when placing the cover 10A over the protector bodies 20A and 20B, the stopper piece 30 is bent towards the bottom wall 21, pushing the wires 51 of the wire group 50 inserted into the protector bodies 20A and 20B towards the bottom wall 21. As a result, the wires 51 will not be caught between the protector bodies 20A and 20B and the cover 10A.

Here, the stopper piece 30 is designed to be easily bent at the base where the opening 35 is formed. Therefore, even when the width of the stopper piece 30 is widened, the repulsive force when bending the stopper piece 30 can be suppressed from exceeding a predetermined level. Consequently, when expanding the holding range of the stopper piece 30 along the insertion direction of the wire group 50, the number of stopper pieces 30 can be reduced compared to the number of conventional wing sections 530 (see Figure 9) whose width W2 is limited to a predetermined level or less, by widening the width W4 of the stopper piece 30. As a result, even when expanding the holding range of the stopper piece 30, the number of times the stopper piece 30 needs to be pressed can be suppressed, improving the workability of housing the wire group 50 into the wire harness protector 1.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, after placing the cover 10A over the upper opening of the housing section 22 in the protector bodies 20A and 20B, the engaging piece 13 of the cover 10A is inserted into the cover fixing frame 25 of the protector bodies 20A and 20B and locked in place. At this time, the wire group 50 is firmly pushed into the housing section 22 by the stopper pieces 30 and 40, thus preventing it from getting caught between the cover 10A and the protector bodies 20A and 20B.

Therefore, according to the wire harness protector 1 and wire housing method of this embodiment, the workability when housing the wire group 50 into the protector body 20A, 20B is improved, and the wires 51 can be prevented from protruding or getting caught.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc., as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited, as long as they can achieve the present invention.
In the above embodiment, an example was described in which a long wire harness protector 1 is constructed from two protector bodies 20A and 20B whose ends are connected to each other, and three covers 10A, 10B, and 10C. However, the configuration of the wire harness protector is not limited to this, and it can also be constructed from one protector body and one cover.
Furthermore, it goes without saying that the configuration of the stopper piece 30 is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, but can take various forms in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

Herein, the features of the embodiments of the wire harness protector and wire housing method according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4].
[1] A protector body (20A) having a bottom wall (21) and side walls (23, 23) erected from both side edges of the bottom wall (21) forming a housing section (22) for housing a group of electric wires (50),
A cover (10A) is attached to the protector body (20A) and covers the housing (22),
A flexible stopper piece (30) is provided protruding from the tip of the side wall (23) of the protector body (20A),
An opening (35) formed at the base of the stopper piece (30),
A wire harness protector (1) equipped with the following.

According to the wire harness protector (1) with the configuration described in [1] above, when inserting the wire group (50) into the housing (22) of the protector body (20A), the wires (51) of the wire group (50) that would otherwise protrude from the housing (22) of the protector body (20A) are prevented from protruding by hitting the stopper piece (30) that protrudes from the tip of the side wall (23).
Furthermore, when placing the cover (10A) over the protector body (20A), the stopper piece (30) is bent toward the bottom wall (21), pushing the wire (51) inserted into the protector body (20A) toward the bottom wall (21). Therefore, the wire (51) will not get caught between the protector body (20A) and the cover (10A).
Here, the stopper piece (30) is made easily bendable at the base where the opening (35) is formed. Therefore, even when the width of the stopper piece (30) is widened, it is possible to suppress the repulsive force when bending the stopper piece (30) from becoming greater than a predetermined value. Accordingly, when expanding the holding range of the stopper piece (30) along the insertion direction of the wire group (50), the number of stopper pieces (30) can be reduced compared to the number of wing sections (530) whose width W2 is limited to a predetermined value or less by widening the width of the stopper piece (30). As a result, even when expanding the holding range of the stopper piece (30), it is possible to suppress the number of times the stopper piece (30) needs to be held down, and the workability of housing the wire group (50) into the wire harness protector (1) is improved.

[2] Wire harness protector (1) as described in [1] above,
The stopper piece (30) has a pair of protruding pieces (31, 31) projecting from the tip of the side wall (23) in the same direction as the side wall (23), and a connecting piece (33) that connects the tips of the pair of protruding pieces (31, 31) to partition the opening (35),
The wire harness protector (1) is formed such that the connecting portion (33) is convex outward from the outer surface of the side wall (23).

In the wire harness protector (1) with the configuration described in [2] above, the connecting portion (33) that connects the tips of a pair of protruding pieces (31, 31) projecting from the tip of the side wall (23) in the same direction as the side wall (23) to form an opening (35) is formed so as to be convex outward from the outer surface of the side wall (23). That is, the inner surface of the connecting portion (33) is located outside the outer surface of the protruding pieces (31). Therefore, in the molding die (100) used to integrally mold the stopper piece (30) with the opening (35) at its base to the protector body (20A), undercuts can be avoided, and the structure of the molding die (100) can be kept from becoming overly complex. As a result, the cost increase caused by integrally molding the stopper piece (30) with the opening (35) at its base to the protector body (20A) can be suppressed.

[3] Wire harness protector (1) as described in [2] above,
A wire harness protector (1) in which multiple stopper pieces (30) are arranged in a staggered pattern on each of the side walls (23, 23) that are erected from both side edges of the bottom wall (21).

According to the wire harness protector (1) with the configuration described in [3] above, the group of wires (50) can be effectively held in place from both sides along the insertion direction by the multiple stopper pieces (30) arranged in a staggered pattern on each of the side walls (23, 23) erected from both side edges of the bottom wall (21).

[4] A wire housing method for housing a group of wires (50) in a wire harness protector (1) described in any one of [1] to [3] above,
In a wire housing method, when housing the group of wires (50) in the protector body (20A) fixed on the wiring board, a locking pin (60) erected on the wiring board adjacent to the outer surface of the side wall (23) is inserted through the opening (35), thereby holding the tip of the stopper piece (30) open outward from the side wall (23).

According to the wire housing method of the configuration described in [4] above, when housing the wire group (50) in the protector body (20A), the locking pin (60), which is erected adjacent to the outer surface of the side wall (23), is inserted through the opening (35) of the stopper piece (30). As a result, the stopper piece (30) is held in a state in which its tip is open outward from the side wall (23). Therefore, when inserting the wire group (50) into the housing section (22) of the protector body (20A), the wire group (50) is less likely to get caught on the tip of the stopper piece (30), making the wire housing work easier. After housing the wire bundle (50) in the protector body (20A), the locking pin (60) is removed from the opening (35) of the stopper piece (30). This makes the stopper piece (30) flexible, allowing the wires (51) to be pushed towards the bottom wall (21).

1...Wire harness protector 10A...Lid 20A...Protector body 21...Bottom wall 22...Housing section 23...Side wall 30...Stopper piece 35...Opening 50...Wire group

Claims (3)

A protector body having side walls erected from both side edges of the bottom wall, and a housing section for housing a group of electric wires formed by the bottom wall and the side walls,
A lid which is attached to the protector body and covers the housing,
A flexible stopper piece is provided protruding from the tip of the side wall of the protector body,
An opening formed at the base of the stopper piece,
Equipped with ,
The stopper piece has a pair of protruding pieces projecting from the tip of the side wall in the same direction as the side wall, and a connecting portion that connects the tips of the pair of protruding pieces to define the opening.
A wire harness protector in which the connecting portion is formed to be convex outward from the outer surface of the side wall . A wire harness protector according to claim 1,
A wire harness protector in which multiple stopper pieces are arranged in a staggered pattern on each of the side walls that are erected from both side edges of the bottom wall . A wire housing method for housing a group of wires in a wire harness protector according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A method for housing electric wires, wherein when housing the group of electric wires in the protector body fixed on the wiring plate, the tip of the stopper piece is held open outward from the side wall by inserting a locking pin erected on the wiring plate into the opening .